


starry eyes sparkin' up my darkest night

by elsaclack



Series: in every lifetime, i'll find you [4]
Category: Brooklyn Nine-Nine (TV)
Genre: (that's a tag i'm inventing RIGHT NOW), Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Chosen Soulmates, F/M, One Shot Collection, Originally Posted to Tumblr, Romance, Romantic Soulmates, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, each oneshot is a standalone that requires no other information from previous chapters, idk it's just a series of soulmate one-shots
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-15
Updated: 2019-05-15
Packaged: 2020-03-06 00:00:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,307
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18839473
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elsaclack/pseuds/elsaclack
Summary: a series of soulmate aus originally posted to tumblrlatest chapter: "a soulmate au where it's canon (jake and amy are together and getting married), but they aren't soulmates and the puzzler ends up being amy's soulmate (they stay together ofc)"





	starry eyes sparkin' up my darkest night

**Author's Note:**

> I love all of your stories, you're an amazing writer! I'm not sure if you're taking requests rn, but if you are, maybe a soulmate au where it's canon (jake and amy are together and getting married), but they aren't soulmates and the puzzler ends up being amy's soulmate (they stay together ofc). - anonymous
> 
> the basic concept is that soulmates are denoted by matching tattoos which i think makes sense but also you can blame @startofamoment for jake/sophia’s matching tattoos HONESTLY

He waits for her in the living room.

It hadn’t taken much thought, in all honesty - he’d just thrown himself down on the first available surface upon trudging through the front door, which just happened to be the couch. He hadn’t bothered messing with the lamps on either end table or the light over the sink in the kitchen; sunlight was still streaming in through the windows at that point and he didn’t really care all that much about seeing, anyways.

Not when all there was to look at was an empty apartment.

Of course, he hadn’t counted on her being gone for so long. Hours passed - darkness grew - and with it came an impenetrable mountain of dread.

Amy Santiago - his fiancée - finally found her soulmate.

He was there. He’d seen the exact moment her eyes landed on the little puzzle piece-shaped tattoo on the inside of Vin’s wrist. He’d seen her body freeze, the color drain from her face. He’d seen her fingers absently brush against her right hip - the place where her puzzle piece tattoo, identical to Vin’s, is hidden. And he’d seen the understanding light Vin’s eyes.

And his world had fallen to pieces in a matter of seconds.

His own soulmate, a whip-smart defense attorney with sparkling eyes and a dazzling personality, had decided long ago that he was far too immature and didn’t quite live up to her standards in a significant other. She’d left him heartbroken and alone at a bed and breakfast in Rhode Island.

He hasn’t seen her in years, but he heard she still covers her chicken wing-shaped tattoo with heavy makeup.

With Amy, things were different. She’s never been one to be tied down by the concept of a soulmate; she is the fiercest champion of free will he’s ever met. And he has to admit - being in love with someone who actively chooses to love him back is an incredible feeling.

Of course, it’s certainly less than incredible right now.

The apartment is nearly pitch-black by the time he hears her key in the lock on the front door. He keeps his eyes closed and face stubbornly hidden in the couch cushions when she steps inside, and she’s quiet aside from the sounds of her purse and jacket sliding off of her body and thumping against the wall as they settle on her designated hook.

She must have toed her shoes off, too, for her steps are so light they’re nearly silent as she makes her way across the living room, toward him. He clenches his jaw when the cushion above his head dips beneath her weight, and a moment later he feels the warm weight of her hand on the back of his head. “Jake,” she says softly.

It’s like a knife through his heart.

She strokes his hair until he fully sits up, and he shivers as her fingers graze along the side of his neck and down his chest before her hand falls back into her lap. For a moment, the space between them is a bottomless chasm.

Amy moves closer to him, until their thighs are touching, and reaches to pull his left hand into her lap. She doesn’t say anything - just traces the length of his fingers with hers, rolling and flattening them out with her knuckles, gently ghosting the pads of her thumbs along the meat of his palm.

It’s like grinding his heart into a bed of barbed wire.

“Amy,” he says hoarsely, and her fingers still against his hand. “If you’re gonna do what I think you gonna do…please, just - just do it. Please.”

From the corner of his eye, he sees her turn her head to look at him. “What are you talking about?” she asks, voice soft.

He swallows hard, resisting the urge to pull his hand from her grasp. “You were with him for hours,” he mumbles.

“We had a lot to talk about.”

“I know, but - I mean, you have to know what that looks like from where I’m standing, so if you’re leaving me for him I would appreciate it if you would just say it instead of -”

“Stop,” she quietly interrupts, and he feels himself deflate. “I know that this has been really scary for you, and that it’s brought up a lot of really bad memories. I’m sorry that you’ve had to sort through that alone tonight. It isn’t fair. But, Jake - I’m not leaving you.”

The words are droplets of soothing balm against his burning chest; slowly, he turns his head to find her gazing at him earnestly. “What?” he breathes.

“I’m not leaving you.” she repeats slowly. “I knew within the first five seconds, I don’t want to be with Vin. I want you.”

He automatically curls his fingers, capturing hers in a firm squeeze. “Are - are you serious?”

“Vin’s a nice person,” she says, “and I could see why the universe would think that he’s my soulmate. And maybe if you and I had never met, it would have worked out for me and Vin, but that doesn’t matter. Because I want you, Jake. Only you.”

“But he’s your  _soulmate_ ,” he blurts. “He’s literally  _perfect_ for you -”

“He  _was_ my soulmate,” she corrects. “He isn’t anymore.”

He blinks, and blinks again, but the earnestness in Amy’s gaze never falters. “What are you saying?”

“My tattoo changed.”

He knows his jaw has dropped, but he can’t help it - his disbelief is a palpable thing. “ _What_?”

“I didn’t notice it until I got in my car to come home, but…it changed. And something tells me that yours changed, too.”

Slowly, he lifts the hem of his shirt, only breaking eye-contact when the spot on his ribs is exposed to open air. And in the exact place where his chicken wing tattoo was not hours ago, a new shape has taken form - about the length and width of his thumb.

“Infinity,” he whispers, following the track the shape creates. Amy’s smiling when he looks back at her, and then she’s leaning away, pulling the hem of her pants down until he catches sight of an identical symbol on her hip. The puzzle piece is no where in sight.

“Infinity,” Amy repeats, squeezing his hand still in her lap. “You’re the right person for me, Jake. I’ve always known that, but now I have the proof.”

Joy, overwhelming joy bubbles up from the deepest layers of his subconscious; he leans forward and kisses her forcefully, grinning like a fool. And Amy kisses him back with equal ferocity, her free hand anchoring in his hair, her lips curling against his.

“But wait,” he gasps as he suddenly pulls away, “if you knew in the first five seconds, why - why were you gone for so long?”

Pity cracks across her expression, but instinctively he knows it isn’t for him. “Vin didn’t, um…he wasn’t quite ready to just let go.” she says carefully.

“He tried to convince you to -”

“It doesn’t matter,” Amy interrupts quickly. “I feel bad for him, because I know firsthand how deeply this can affect a person.” She nods to him, brows rising, and he swallows thickly. “It took a lot longer than I thought it would, but eventually he came around. I think part of him is relieved, honestly. Apparently there’s a woman he works with he’s been interested in but hasn’t made a move on because he’s been looking for - well, for me. Now that he’s not obligated, he’s a free agent.”

He nods, tightening his grip on her hand. “I understand,” he says. “If the roles were reversed, I…I don’t know what I would have done.”

“Well, now you  _never_ have to worry about it. You’re never getting rid of me, Peralta.”

“Is that a Santiago guarantee?”

She smothers her laughter against his lips.


End file.
